Overworld Decisions

[ZeaLitY]

We have three unused Overworlds to use -- 2300 A.D., 1999 A.D., and old 12000 B.C. How we use them will affect the plot. For sure, one of them is going to be the "New World," where various scenarios will happen that server to bring out characterization. What will the other two be?

Suggestions include expanding on the Antaeus versus Cedric theme with a full blown war going on in 1 A.D. The main problem with that idea is the absence of unique sprites and tilesets to the era, though 600 A.D. with a snowy overworld would do, and perhaps the future people sprites could be used as well. Another suggestion is to make a future era fully explorable. The problems here include, we do not have unique anything for 2300 A.D. -- in Chrono Trigger, 2300 A.D. was 1999 A.D., only ruined. The other problem for having 1999 or 2300 accessible is the absence of unique tilesets and sprites for those eras. What NPCs would we use? And would everything be as bland as the Blackbird example I posted.

Then there are two other options -- one "Ruined" overworld, like 1002 A.D. if the apocalypse were to happen then, or something. The last idea is to simply make the new world use two overworlds, with two supercontinents or something.

1. 1 A.D.
2. Future
3. Ruined world
4. New World x2
5. Your idea

Ideas are welcome.

[Lord J Esq]

We have three unused Overworlds to use -- 2300 A.D., 1999 A.D., and old 12000 B.C. How we use them will affect the plot. For sure, one of them is going to be the "New World," where various scenarios will happen that server to bring out characterization. What will the other two be?

Suggestions include expanding on the Antaeus versus Cedric theme with a full blown war going on in 1 A.D. The main problem with that idea is the absence of unique sprites and tilesets to the era, though 600 A.D. with a snowy overworld would do, and perhaps the future people sprites could be used as well. Another suggestion is to make a future era fully explorable. The problems here include, we do not have unique anything for 2300 A.D. -- in Chrono Trigger, 2300 A.D. was 1999 A.D., only ruined. The other problem for having 1999 or 2300 accessible is the absence of unique tilesets and sprites for those eras. What NPCs would we use? And would everything be as bland as the Blackbird example I posted.

Then there are two other options -- one "Ruined" overworld, like 1002 A.D. if the apocalypse were to happen then, or something. The last idea is to simply make the new world use two overworlds, with two supercontinents or something.

1. 1 A.D.
2. Future
3. Ruined world
4. New World x2
5. Your idea

Ideas are welcome.

I notice Daniel is very interested in seeing the 1 A.D. period developed further. That sounds like a grand idea. But I would hate to see its development confined to yet another war. Is war the best sort of drama we can come up with to symbolize such an important age? Maybe a war could be a modest part of a larger theme in that era, because I really grow tired of seeing so much war in the plot.

1999 A.D. is probably something we can keep out of Crimson Echoes in the interest of drama. That's going to be a very interesting, yet also very difficult era to work with, so why not forego its obvious use and save it for another game?

I personally would like to see a sort of give-and-take between 2300 A.D. and 2400 A.D. Just as 600 A.D. and 1000 A.D. were very cozy in Chrono Trigger, we could do the same thing with 2300 A.D. and 2400 A.D. in Crimson Echoes.

If we're limited to three overworlds, then 1 A.D., 2300 A.D., and 2400 A.D. would cover it.

[Chrono'99]

A "world war" seems way too extreme for 1 AD. It's Antiquity, so a small, localized conflict would be the norm. The Guardia and Porre domains would probably be very small, around the Denadoro region perhaps. Generally, for the Zenanians (ehe, I think I coined a term), Medina would be like India for the Romans (= known, but rarely in contact with), and Choras would basically be an unknown continent. Everything that isn't Guardia/Porre would be unrelated to their war.

Maybe we could make the 1 AD Choras a sort of Aborigine Australia (even if it's snowy!), since the Chrono series always had a subtle but rather fitting Aborigine religion feeling (see the Dreamtime and beliefs about dreams being able to shape the planet), especially with Schala's speech during the CC ending.

Well, I don't really know how this Choras would fit with the plot actually, even though even in CT, Choras had not much to do with the main plot anyway. Just throwing ideas.

As for the other overworlds, if one is the "alternate world", and one is 1 AD... I guess there's only one left, the Future era. But yeah, the problem is the tileset. Computer screens and hot hi-tech devices are cruelly missing. This is quite an issue in practise.

[ZeaLitY]

Well, here's another curveball: should the alternate world be the variant of the Reptite dimension or another human establishment? It's another overhead problem. We have no tilesets for Reptite stuff, but on the plus side, we do have Reptite enemies and a boss in the form of Azala's sprite. It's also simple to create; stop Lavos from falling and let the Reptites beat the humans. Nonetheless, humanity would be a little easier to do, although yeah, it might default onto some war conflict in the new world again or something (or yet we could do something like magic crystals; who knows). What a decision...

[Daniel Krispin]

Well, here's another curveball: should the alternate world be the variant of the Reptite dimension or another human establishment? It's another overhead problem. We have no tilesets for Reptite stuff, but on the plus side, we do have Reptite enemies and a boss in the form of Azala's sprite. It's also simple to create; stop Lavos from falling and let the Reptites beat the humans. Nonetheless, humanity would be a little easier to do, although yeah, it might default onto some war conflict in the new world again or something (or yet we could do something like magic crystals; who knows). What a decision...

Well, you see, if you do make it a Reptite world...
Sure, it's another world created by the user of the Flame. But when CE echoes ends, you could have it remain as well as an alternate, and closely connected timeline. What do you get then? A world that the Earth can summon in CC as its backup: the world with Terra Tower, and the Dragon Gods. Basically, we'd then get to see the inception of that world that causes the conflict in CC. Honestly, that'd be sweet. In CC we never get to see more than Terra Tower, but in CE we could see the world as a whole that births Terra Tower. The relevance of such an alternate universe then extends from this single game, into the larger Chrono scheme as a whole. It's worth a thought.

[Agent 12]

As for tilesets for a "reptite world" I was thinking they would be completely natural. pretty much all forests.  Houses would just be areas with trees or caves (think frogs burrow (spelling?). 

Terra tower....We'd have to ask CL about this but maybe we can mess with the Ozzie fort sprite?  It's kind of a tower.

--jp

[Chrono'99]

Actually, I tried to make something Reptite-like with the Millenial Fair tileset, and I believe it could make decent maps (I'm not totally sure). I somehow managed to change Nadia's Bells into more or less snake-like statues. Here's a rough test in the attachment (just the middle, the rest is obviously Leene Square).

That's for location. As for the overworld... I don't know, but at least a good layer-3 tileset would give a small impression of freshness (it seems some layer-3 tilesets are unused, and they're not all trash).

[attachment deleted by admin]

[ZeaLitY]

You're remarkably adept at innovating with map tiles. Have you ever messed with the Sealed Pyramid tileset? There are a bunch of structure related tiles (stones and things), but I've never been able to piece them together.

[Chrono'99]

I've just looked at it. There's a strange door and some columns, but no real wall except if the stone tiles are "diverted" or if we repeat the columns. The door looks kinda like a Zealian door but without the Mammon symbol.

Hey now that I think about it, maybe that location was supposed to be the entrance of an explorable Elemental Palace (or Zeal Dungeon? ), since the Elemental Palace was built before the Mammon Machine.

EDIT: Wait, it's actually a Prerelease Zealian door! I've just checked the Encyclopedia and it seems the Sealed Pyramid was a real and big dungeon back then... It seems we found its entrance, still secretly lurking in the Final version tileset.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[ZeaLitY]

That's going to be a killer dungeon door...

[Chrono'99]

Indeed. Ehe, messing with tileset is fun. I guess I'm better at it than on plot construction.

[Lord J Esq]

With regard to getting the "feel" of the Reptite dimension right, natural development and organic formations would certainly be very different from architecture as it has developed under humanity. I imagine it would be far less angular in its geometry and considerably more subtle in its symmetry than our imposing squares and piercing lines, which defy the natural contour of the land and impose upon it a discrete order entirely of our own conception.

Looking at Tyrano Lair and Terra Tower, I would advise considerable artistic license on the part of whomever tackles these tilesets.

[JLukas]

EDIT: Wait, it's actually a Prerelease Zealian door! I've just checked the Encyclopedia and it seems the Sealed Pyramid was a real and big dungeon back then... It seems we found its entrance, still secretly lurking in the Final version tileset.

Nice find!